Adjustable electrical fixture



L GLASS 2,981,917

ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Filed April 7. 1959 April 25, 1961 FIG.

INVENTOR IRVING GLASS ATTORNEYS,

United States Patent signments, to AK. Electric Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y.,a.

corporation of N ewYork Filed Apr. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 804,659

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-9) The present invention relates generally. toimprovements in electrical devices and it relates more particularly toan improved adjustable electrical fixture.

In recent years the use of electrical fixtures. which are spaciallyadjustablymounted has become widespread. This is particularly true inthe case of electrical lamps connected to a source of house current. Ithas been found i hl desirable to mount electric lamps in a manner whichpermits the vertical adjustment and in which the lamp support is notfloor mounted. Heretofore, the lamp carrying fixture has usually beenconnected to the house current'by way of a flexible two conductor cablerequiringvariations-in its length and disposition during adjustment ofthe lamp fixture. The connecting cable was thus necessarily of excessivelength, Was ungainly, unsightly and awkward. In addition, theseconventional arrangements possessed numerous other drawbacksanddisadvantages. M

It is thus aprincipal object of the present invention to providearr-improved electricaldevice.

. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedadjustable electrical fixture.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedadjustable electrical lamp fixture.

Afurther object ofthe present invention is to provide an.-improved-Ielectric lampfixture which is readily andsimplylinearly,adjustablewithoutthe necessity of varyingthelengthondisposition of any associated conductor cable, Still afuither object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcombined electrical conductor car-- ryingsHPPOrt member and, anassociated electrical fixture adjustable-along the length ofsaidgsupportmember and readil'yjconpled to theconductors.

Another.{object. of vthe present invention is to provide animproyedelectrical device of the above nature characteriz edbyitsilow.cost,:simplicity, ruggedness,-ease of useand application andits safety, and. absence of shock hazardsi' The-above" andffurtherobjects ofthe present inven tion will becomeapparent from a reading ofthe following description taken in conjunction withthe accompanyingdrawing wherein: a I I 1 a Fig. l is-a' front elevational fragmentaryview partially in section andiipartiallybroken-away of a support memherand lamp, fixture embo'dying thepresent invention;

v F 1g. 2 1s 1 aenaglnentafy elevationa-Lview OfrtllQSllP- mernb and"lam'p fixture "illustrate dv in assembled L. awn, ..c... 1 A

Fig. 3. is an enlarged'detailed sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to -Fig. '3 illustrating,

however, the lamp fixture during the assembly operation With the supportmember; and

Fig. 5' is a longitudinal fragmentary sectionaltvijew 'ofthelamp'fixture'supportbracket. i

{in a sense the present invention contemplates the protherein, a pair oflaterally spaced conductor strips disposed in said housing behind saidfront wall and parallel to and along opposite sides of saidslot, and anadjustable fixture provided with an electrical coupling member andincluding a first jaw member disposed within said housing and extendinglaterally of said slot and being'narrower than said slot, a pair ofoppositely located mutually insulated contact elements carried on saidfirst jaw and separably engaging said respective conductor strips, ashank projecting from said first jaw member through said slot, 2. secondjaw member mounted on said shank external of said housing and movablerelative to said first jaw member and electrical leads connecting saidcoupling member to said contact elements.

According to a preferred form of the present invention the housing is inthe form of a tubular member having a Patented Apr. 25, 1 961longitudinal slot formed therein; Disposed within thev tubular memberare a pair of insulator bars located on' opposite sides of the slot andprovided with flanges directed toward each other, the inner edges beingspaced to define a slot aligned with the tube slot. A conductor strip ismounted on the inner face of each flange and is connected by way of aconductor to a source of current. The adjustable fixture includes a pairof cooperating first and sec- 0nd jaw members, mounted on a tubularshank and movable toward and away from each other. The first jaw isremovably located within the tube and is narrower. thanthe slots andlonger than the slot width. The second jaw is located outside thehousing and movably cooperates with includes a conductor housing supportmember 11- and a separable adjustable larnpbracket carryingelectrical'fix- A ture 12. The supportmember 11 comprises a tubularhousing 13, shown by way of illustration "as being prefervision of animproved'electrical device of the character I described comprising incombination a housingfm'e mber of the .slot 16 and having compartments.-Anot-herjlongitudinal-e slot associated components;

ably vertically disposed and mounted alongthe edge of a wall orpartition-14 formed of a corrugated thermoplastic material, the tubularhousing 13 having alongitudinal slot 16 formed therein'and extending topoints shortof'theends of the tubularhousing l3. Therhousingilla ispreferably; formed ofmetalor othersuitable rigid material and theendsthereof are closed by plugs or walls 17.

Located withinthe housing 13 and extending for sub pairof laterallystantiallythe full length thereof are a spaced insulator members 18disposed on opposite-sides outer; surfaces coinciding with:

and abutting the-inner face of the tubular housing. 13-

for approximately half its circumference.

The trailing faces. of the insulators 18 are. coplanar and connected bya partition 19 which extends diametricallyi across the tubular'housing 13 to divide it into qtwol cent compartment may be constructed and mannersimilar to-that containing the insulators 18 and The insulator members18 are provided with flanges 21 e which Formed in the inner suitableelectrical conducting material.

longitudinal T s 20 may; be? formed in; the housing; 13' opposite slot16 :and the; adja.

equipped in a,

are directed toward each} other and separated by a slot defining space22 of slightly greater width than the slot 16. f rearwardly'directedfaces of the flanges '21 are longitudi nally extending recesses in whichconductor strips-23 formed of copper, brass, or other fThe insulators I18 may be formed of any suitable material suchas an are nestedandlsecure'd extruded or cast organic thermoplastic or thermosetmaterial, for example, a phenolic or polystyrene resin, and extends forsubstantially the full length of the housing 13 as do the conductorstrips 23. The conductor strips may be connected by way of leads 24 of aconductor cable to a suitable source of electric current by means of aconventional plug 25.

The separable adjustable electrical fixture 12 includes a switchcontaining electric light socket member 26 of conventional constructionand a support bracket 27 therefor. The support bracket 27 comprises afirst jaw member 28, a second jaw member 29 and a connecting.

shaft or shank 30. The shank 30 is defined by a tube formed of metal,plastic, or other suitable material and having an externally threadedouter end 32 from which there radially projects a pin 33. Mounted on theinner end of the shank 30 is the transversely extending rigidrectangular bar shaped first jaw member 28 having a width less than thewidths of the slots 16 and 22 and being longer than these widths. A pairof electrical contact elements 34 are mutually insulated and mounted atopposite ends of the inwardly directed face of the first jaw member 28.The distance between the electrical contact elements 34 is equal to thelateral spacing of the longitudinal axes of the conductor strips 23.

The second jaw member 29 is of hollow cylindrical form having its inneredge 36 which is directed toward the first jaw member 28 of concavecylindrical contour complementing the outer surface of the tubularcasing 13. Medially located relative to the concave edge 36 are a pairof oppositely disposed projecting tongues 37 of a width substantiallythat of the slot 16. A longitudinally extending slot 38 is formed in thewall of the jaw member 29, the pin 33 slidably registering with the slot38. Projecting outwardly from the outer edge of the second jaw member 29is a peripheral flange or lip 39.

A cap 40 is provided with an end wall 41 having a tapped axial boreformed therein and engaging the shank threaded end 32. Depending fromthe periphery of the end wall 41 is a shirt 42 provided at its bottomwith an inwardly directed portion 43 having formed in its inner face anannular groove rotatably engaging the lip 39. The lamp socket 14 ismounted on the shank threaded end 34 in the usual manner and isconnected to the contact elements 34 by way of leads 44 which passthrough the tubular shank 30.

In mounting the fixture 12 on the housing 11 and effecting theelectrical coupling thereof, the second jaw member 29 is moved to itsretracted position relativeto the first jaw member 28 by turning the cap40 in the proper sense. The first jaw member 28 is then aligned with andinserted through the slots 16 and 22 into the housing 11 and turned 90by correspondingly rotating the shank 30. The second jaw member isadvanced by rotating the cap 40 on the shank 30 while maintaining thejaw member in the aforesaid oriented position, the tongues 37 being inalignment with the slot 16 by reason of the engagement between the pin33 and slot 38. Upon adequate tightening of the cap 40 the wall of thehousing 11 and the conductorcarrying insulating strips 18 are firmlyclamped between the confronting faces of the jaw members, the electricalcontact elements engaging the corresponding conductor strips 23. Thetongues 37 register with the slot 16 and the arcuate edge 36 of the 4second jaw member 27 embraces the outer face of the tubular housing 13to rigidly support the fixture 12 which is electrically energized by thecurrent carrying strips 23. The fixture 12 may be readily adjusted alongthe length of the housing 13 by merely loosening the cap 40, sliding thefixture to the desired position and then tightening the cap. In order toremove the fixture 12 from the support housing the above procedure ismerely reversed.

While there has been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention it is apparent that numerous alterations andomissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved electrical device of the character described comprisingin combination a housing member provided with a front wall having anelongate slot formed therein, apair of laterally spaced conductor stripsdisposed in said housing behind said front wall and parallel to andalong opposite sides of said slot, and an adjustable fixture including afirst jaw member disposed within said housing bridging said slot and ofa size and shape to be rotatable in said housing about an axis extendingthrough said slot and movable along said axis outward from said housing,a pair of oppositely located mutually insulated contact elements carriedon said first jaw member and separably engaging saidrespective'conductor strips, a shank fixed to and projecting from saidfirst jaw member outward through said slot and having a threaded outerend, said shank being rotatable in and withdrawable outward through saidslot for effecting rotation and withdrawal of said first jaw member, asecond jaw member mounted on said shank exteriorly of said housing forrotation with said shank and movement longitudinally along said shanktoward and away from said first jaw member, formations on said secondjaw member configured for non-rotative engagement with said housing uponmovement toward said first jaw member, and a threaded locking memberexteriorly of said housing connected to said shank and second jaw memberfor moving the latter along said shank into nonrotative engagement withsaid housing and drawing said first jaw member firmly against saidconductor strips.

2. An improved electrical device according to claim 1, said formationscomprising a tongue engageable into said slot upon movement of saidsecond jaw member toward said first jaw member to prevent rotation ofsaid first jaw member, said second jaw member and said shank relative tosaid housing.

3. An improved electrical device according to claim 1, V

said second jaw member being of tubular configuration spacedlysurrounding said shank, pin-and-slot means connecting said shank andsecond jaw member for nonrotative relative longitudinal movement, saidlocking member being circumposed about said shank in threaded engagementtherewith and connected to said second jaw member for rotation relativethereto, to effect longitudinal movement of said second jaw memberrelative to said shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS1,250,175

Hills et al. Dec. 18, 1917 1,590,569 Fisk June 29, 1926 1,763,495

Young June 10, 1930

